TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT YOU’RE EATING                           PART I
 
I get bombarded with statements of defeat every day. When their statements start with “I only ate….” I cringe because that usually means they are usually trying to starve themselves all day, causing binging at night, they eat in the middle of the night, their meals and eating schedule are completely off balance; causing binging and cravings, or they’re eating all the wrong things. These are some of the scenarios I face when consulting with nutrition clients.
 
No matter who they are I always delve into their lifestyles to see exactly what I’m dealing with. There are always hidden foods and binges that I find that are wrecking their goals.
 
Recently I had a situation where a friend, not a client, casually says, “Steph, I have my eating under control, but I can’t get rid of this gut.” He continues to tell me his exercise regimen and exactly what he at that particular day. I conclude that his exercise is great and his meals are balanced, but a little under calorie to support his lean muscle and shed fat. This triggers that there is something else that he’s not disclosing, not for fear, but for the fact that he doesn’t realize that it makes that much difference in his daily consumption.
 
So, I asked him if he eats in the middle of the night. He replies, “yes, but if I do it’s only half of a Zone Bar.” Okay, well that’s not going to “kill” his caloric balance for the day or add to his unwanted 5-10 pounds. So I ask…. “do you snack at night?”
“Well, yeah.” he replies. BINGO!!! We have a winner!
 
ALMONDS!! I should have known.
 
He confesses that he eats approximately a 5 lb bag of unsalted a week. A week??!!
 
He begins to tell me that he thought almonds were good for him and that’s why he eats them. Ok folks, almonds are good for you, but they’re a fat, a healthy fat, but a fat. They consist of 9 calories per gram, so they have to be eaten in moderation. A suggested serving is 1 ounce per day.
 
Anyway, I start calculating….
A pound is 16 ounces x 5 pound bag = 80 ounces a week
80 ounces / 7 (days a week) = 11 ounces a day
He was eating almost ¾ of a pound a day.
 
When I started breaking it down for him he was shocked. Here is what I found:
Given that 1 ounce of almonds = 163 calories, 12 grams of fat, 6 proteins, 3.5 grams of fiber, and 6 carbohydrates.
I’m going to multiply all these by 11 (ounces he eats per day).
 
 
Here is what I came up with:
163 calories x 11 =     1793
14 g fat x 11 =     154
6 g protein x 11 =    66
3.5 g fiber x 11 =    38
6 g carbs x 11 =     66
 
In conclusion, he was consuming 1793 calories in addition to his regular meals, which added up to approximately 3500 calories a day and he was eating 154 grams of fat on top of the fats he was consuming in his regular meals. He was eating in excess of approximately 1400 calories a day and an excess of approximately 150 grams of fat a day. Needless to say he was relieved when I told him he was quickly gaining approximately 3 pounds a week. He agreed, he said he felt like he was in a rut and kept reducing his calories every day and working out more. He was disappointed and felt like he was fighting a losing battle.
 
Every story has a happy ending. This A-HA moment happened the night before he went on a week-long vacation. He stopped eating almonds the very next day. Naturally, vacations are eating, drinking, and being merry. That’s exactly what he did AND left 5 pounds on vacation - a permanent vacation. He has continued to abstain from his large consumption of almonds and has continued to drop the 10 extra pounds that he was fighting.
 
Advice:
I don’t suggest leaving a bag of almonds sit on your desk or anywhere where they are easily accessible. Portion out 1 ounce of almonds that you allow yourself to eat per day.